Category: Farmville Enterprise

Articles as they appear in the Farmville Enterprise

Halloween: O Holy Night

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise4 Comments


peanuts halloween

Halloween is sometimes called an evil or even a demonic holiday. However, I believe when we narrowly define demonic evil as fictional ghosts, goblins, and vampires that come out one night of the year, we may miss the true demonic evil that surrounds us every day—Greed, hate, racism, sexism, ableism and all kinds of bigotry that haunt our world day and night.

Furthermore, when one takes a close look at how our culture observes All Hallows’ Eve, I believe one can reach the conclusion that Halloween may be the most holy night on the calendar. For example:

On what other evening of the year do we turn on our porch lights to welcome, not only friends and family, but all who may pass by?  All are welcomed and greeted with smiles and laughter, and “all” even includes witches, monsters and little devils. It does not matter who they are or from whence they came; all are welcomed equally.

On what other night do we non-discriminately give to others expecting absolutely nothing in return? Others only have to open up their hands, their bags, or their orange pumpkin-shaped containers before us, and we gladly and generously fill them with something good.

On what other evening do we give to others until we can give no more? We keep our porch lights burning until we have given all that we have.

On what other night do we share grace, so freely, unconditionally, and generously? On what other night do we truly give to others as God has given to us?

Halloween is not evil, and it is not demonic, at least not the way that we celebrate it. All Hallows Eve is hallowed. It is holy. It is unreserved grace. It is unconditional love.

And it is a shame that such generosity only happens once a year. If it happened more, perhaps there would be much less true demonic evil haunting our world today.

So, go buy your candy, get a costume, decorate your front porch, and get ready for a holy night!

Stand for the Victims of Bullying

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise1 Comment

bullyIn the wake of yet another suicide incited by bullying at a local middle school, it is way past time for the church to take a stand. Sadly, for far too long, the church has been silent about bullying; and in some cases, the church has even been the bully. Unfortunately, there are reasons Christian pulpits are sometimes called “bully pulpits,” and some Christians are called, “Bible Thumpers.” They thump their Bibles and use their Bible to thump those who do not embrace their biblical views.

This is rather ironic when one considers that the Jesus of the Bible always stood on the side of the victims of bullying, on the side of those marginalized by society. He identified himself with “the least of these.”

He touched lepers,[i] cleansed the unclean,[ii] welcomed children,[iii] ate with sinners,[iv] praised minorities,[v] learned from one of another faith,[vi] loved the foreigner,[vii] respected a prostitute,[viii] gave dignity to Eunuchs,[ix] defended an adulterer,[x] protected the rights of women,[xi] made whole the mentally ill,[xii] lifted up the poor,[xiii] fed the hungry,[xiv] offered drink to the thirsty,[xv] blessed the meek,[xvi] advocated for prisoners,[xvii] promised paradise to a thief,[xviii] and even forgave this own murderers.[xix]

As we enter the season when some Christians bully non-Christians with their KEEP-CHRIST-IN-CHRISTMAS campaigns, let us begin a new campaign to KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTIAN. Let’s stand with Jesus by standing up and standing for those marginalized by society.

[i] Luke 17:11-19

[ii] Luke 8:43-48

[iii] Matthew 19:13-15

[iv] Matthew 10:13-17

[v] Luke 10:25-37

[vi] Mark 7:25-30

[vii] Luke 19:34

[viii] Luke 7:36-50

[ix] Matthew 19:12

[x] John 8:1-11

[xi] Matthew 19:3-12,  Luke 10:38-42

[xii] Mark 5:1-17

[xiii] Luke 16:19-31

[xiv] Matthew 14:13-21

[xv] John 4:11

[xvi] Matthew 5:5

[xvii] Matthew 25:36

[xviii] Luke 23:43

[xix] Luke 23:34

Ten Things that Must Change in Church

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville EnterpriseLeave a comment

Follow Jesus. If we make it about anything else, then it is not church.

Welcome all. Jesus never discriminated against anyone, nor should we.

Be real. God created human beings. We should not be afraid to act like one. We must openly confess our shortcomings and never act like we are better than anyone else.

Embrace mystery. No human being can grasp the full meaning of God. If we think we can, then our concept of God is far too small.

Love unconditionally. We are to love others expecting nothing in return without any reservations. Jesus never said to love “some” of our neighbors.

Practice forgiveness. Loving the sinner and hating the sin will not cut it. Love simply keeps no account of wrong-doing.

Be ministers. We don’t pay clergy to be ministers for us. We are all caregivers, grace-givers and hope-givers to one another.

Never judge. Jesus did not misspeak when he said: “Let those without sin cast the first stone.”

Focus outwardly. It is not about getting people to come to our buildings, participate in our programs, believe our creeds and support our institutions. It is about going out and loving others where they are.

Take risks. Jesus’ love for others got him killed. If we make church about sanctuary, comfort, safety and security then we have missed the whole point of who Jesus calls us to be, where Jesus calls us to go, and whom Jesus calls us to love.

Church Is Not About Us

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise, Just a ThoughtLeave a comment

Its not about usThe following is an excerpt from Renewing Our Discipleship Mission to be published in the Farmville Enterprise.

I believe one of the reasons many churches are losing members today is because, for many, the church does not look like Jesus. I believe people still love Jesus and want to follow Jesus today; however, the church does not look like a group of people who have decided to follow Jesus. Church members do not look like a group of people who are on a mission for others but look more like some type of religious club created for the members in order to make them feel holier and superior than others.

Mike Huckabee, former pastor, Arkansas governor, and presidential candidate, wrote about why he resigned from serving as pastor of a church to enter politics. He states: “I had been growing restless and frustrated in the ministry,” As a young minister, he said he envisioned himself as “the captain of a warship leading God’s troops into battle.” But he said, what the people really wanted was for him “to captain the Love Boat, making sure everyone was having a good time.”

This is perhaps why the first thing Jesus says we must do once we decide we want to follow him is to “deny ourselves.”  We must learn that this thing called “discipleship,” this thing called “church,” is not about us. It is not about achieving a good, happy and successful life or even an eternal life.

Discipleship is not about receiving a blessing. It is about being a blessing to others. It is not about feeding our souls. It is about feeding the hungry. It is not about finding a home. It is about welcoming the outsider. It is not about acquiring spiritual riches. It is about giving everything away to the poor. It is not about getting ahead. It is about sharing with people who can barely get by. It is not about triumph. It is about sacrifice. It is not about gaining eternal life for ourselves. It is about dying to ourselves.

I believe the reason that many churches struggle today is because, in our attempt to entice, excite and gain new members, we have made the church all about us. We have said, “Come, and join our church where we have programs that are certain to benefit your life!” Instead of saying: “Come and join our church where you will be given opportunities to give your life away. Come and join our church where you will be encouraged to sacrifice and to serve expecting nothing in return.”

Running this Race Called “Life”

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville EnterpriseLeave a comment

running-group

Running is such a great metaphor for life.

It began as an ordinary Saturday morning run with the Greenville Running Group.  We were running our regular Starbucks’ route from Greenville Boulevard to the Town Commons and the Greenway. I effortlessly covered the distance of the first two miles before I even realized it. Into the third mile, I was confidently running down Charles, past Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, as I had many times in the past. I had this. Life was good. I was all smiles, on cruise control.

Then without warning, early into mile three, I really stepped into it. Without seeing it, I managed to step into a metal hoop that was in the road, about 18 inches in diameter. My right heel caught the back of the hoop and stood it up. My left foot joined my right foot inside the hoop and down I went. Before I knew exactly what happened, I was laying in the gutter of Charles Boulevard. Muddy and bloody, my knees took the brunt of the fall.

Three of my running friends rushed to my aid, empathetically asked me if I was okay, then reached down and helped pick me up out of the gutter. They did not judge me for not looking where I was planting my feet, nor did they express any disappointment that I had interrupted their run. They only expressed compassion for me.

They led me to the Duck-Thru convenience store at the corner on 14th Street where they found a spigot to wash my wounds. One of my friends came out of the store with a first aid kit. Another friend, with her own hands, took some gauze from the kit and made sure my abrasions were clean.

Willing to sacrifice their run, they offered to walk back with me to my car. However, their compassion was more than I needed to encourage me to press on and finish the run. Ten miles later, I completed one of the best runs ever.

The scriptures say: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” (Hebrews 12:1). Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34).

May God forgive us for arrogantly thinking that we can do this thing called “life” alone. And may God give us the grace to love one another, to link up with one another in mutual care and compassion, to feel responsibility for one another, and to run this race together.

The Rainbow and the Cross

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise1 Comment

rainbow crossThe Ebola virus is spreading throughout the world, recently killing a top doctor. Financial turmoil has seized Argentina. A Malaysian plane was shot down over Ukraine, and fierce fighting has broken out around the wreckage. The death toll rises in Gaza as deadly violence occurs every day. Israel attacks a UN school killing 20 evacuees. Mobs of Islamic militants kill dozens in China. An unprecedented crisis at our own border continues. Immigrant families are being torn apart. Kidnapped Nigerian girls for whom churches all over the world prayed are still missing. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright summed up the state of the world last week in one simple sentence: “To put it mildly, the world is a mess.”

I am not the only preacher to point out that the state of the world today is reminiscent of a story found in the early chapters of Genesis. In Genesis 6 we read: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” In other words, the state of the world caused God great suffering. Other translations read that the state of the world “broke God’s heart.”

We know the rest of the story. The Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created” and in Genesis 7, we read that for forty days and nights the rains fell as God intended to start the whole thing over with Noah and his family. However, just one chapter later, the futility of God’s intentions became obvious, as the state of the world had not changed. After the flood “…the Lord said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.’” In the following chapter, we read where the rainbow is forever a beautiful reminder of this great promise.

Sadly, I believe we tend to forget what this promise truly means. Perhaps it is due to a selfish inclination that we have had since our youth that we only remember God will never again try to “blot us out.” However, this promise means so much more. This promise means that our God has chosen a path of suffering. The rainbow means that the state of our world continually breaks the very heart of our God.

There is a reason the prophet Isaiah moves us when we read about “a man of suffering, acquainted with infirmity, wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities” (Isa 53). There is a reason Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things…”(Mark 8)  There is a reason at the death of Lazarus we read, “Jesus wept” (John 11). There is a reason Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matt 27). There is a reason the soldier who was standing at the foot of the cross of our crucified Lord exclaimed: “Surely this man was the Son of God” (Matt 27).

Furthermore, there is a good reason that, living in a world which, “putting it mildly, is a great mess,” we sing: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

God Is Love: Yesterday, Today and Forever

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise, Just a Thought3 Comments

same yesterday today and forever

I hear many people say that the Bible paints two very different portraits of God. They say that the God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath, judgment and vengeance, a God of Hell, fire and brimstone; whereas, the God of the New Testament was a God of love, grace and mercy. I suspect this may be part of the reason that while some say they believe in love and grace, they make it very clear with their words and deeds, that they also believe in judgment and condemnation.

However, I believe God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and I believe God is love. Therefore, God will always be love, and God has always been love. Many point to the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 and talk about God punishing the first two humans by kicking them out of the garden; however, as I pointed out a couple of weeks ago in a sermon, the story is about the human consequences of knowing good and evil, and consequently, our shame. And it is a story about a God who deals with our shame by clothing us with grace, as God made garments of skin to cover Adam and Eve’s shame.

Furthermore, in the next chapter, when Cain, who deserves to die for killing his brother Abel, fears that his life is over, God emphatically says, “Not so!” God then reaches down and puts a mark of grace on Cain. Moreover, God’s grace followed Cain, even in that place east of Eden called Nod, even in that place that Cain believed was outside of God’s presence.

Thus, proving in the very beginning of all that is, that there is not, has never been, and will never be, anything in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God.

The Church Is in the Clothing Business

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville EnterpriseLeave a comment

clothing businessThis article for the Farmville Enterprise is an excerpt from the sermon Clothing One Another with Grace.

In the beginning, God walks through the garden and meets Adam and Eve where they are. They are naked, exposed, and what’s worse, they know it. All has been laid bare. All of their mess is out there, and they could not be more frightened and ashamed.

Then God does for Adam and Eve something that they cannot do for themselves. They cannot deal with their shame. They cannot deal with their sin. The reality of who they were, what they had become and where they were going was too much for them to bear. As revealed in every act of Jesus of Nazareth, God responds to their shame by amazingly bending to the ground, using God’s own hands, and creating garments of skin, and lovingly and very graciously clothes Adam and Eve. The good news is that God responds to their nakedness, to all of their fear and shame, by amazingly clothing them with grace.

I believe with all of my heart that this is one of our primary purposes as a community of faith. We are to always be a community of grace. If people cannot come through the doors of the church and take off their masks, stop the charade, and honestly lay bare all of their sin and all of their grief, knowing that they will never be judged, looked down upon or condemned, then I do not believe we are a church. I am not sure what type of business we’re running, but we are not a church, we are not a community of grace. As a church we are to always be in the business of yearning to meet people where they are, so we can be with them, so we can walk alongside of them, so we can listen to them, learn from them, forgive them and love them.

As the church, I believe we are in the clothing business. We are to always be in the business of bending ourselves to the ground, using our own hands, our resources and our talents, to clothe one another, to clothe all people, with the grace of God in the name of Jesus the Christ.

In God We Trust

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville Enterprise3 Comments

in-god-we-trust-happy4

Hurricanes, disease, terrorism, war, recession, and bad religion surround us. Should we stress?  Should we panic?  Should we climb out on the ledge?

I guess it all depends on where we place our trust.

If we only trust Mother Nature, we will get wet, maybe even blown away.

If we only trust medical science, we might get a staph infection.

If we only trust the goodness of humanity, we will get disappointment and could get attacked.

If we only trust the government, we will never get to know peace.

If we only trust the stock market, banks, and free enterprise; well, we know what we’ll get.

If we only trust the church, we will certainly get hurt.

And if we only trust ourselves, we will get to be in need and always want.

However, if we put all our trust in the God who revealed God’s self through Jesus the Good Shepherd, we shall not want.

If we trust God who stilled the storms and fed the multitudes, we will get a restored soul on green grass beside still waters.

If we trust the God who bent down to wash another’s feet, stooped down to touch a leper, crouched down to forgive an adulterer, knelt down to serve the poor, we will get taught the paths of righteousness.

If we trust the God who wept at Lazarus’ grave and then spoke words of life, we will get light and hope in the shadowy valley of death.

If we trust the God who welcomed all to the table, especially the tax collectors and sinners, we will get a gracious banquet of acceptance, forgiveness and wholeness.

If we trust the God who spoke from the cross: “Forgive them,” we will get to look across the table and see a friend we once called an enemy, a sister or brother we once called a foreigner.

If we trust the God who identified with humanity, who is acquainted with human suffering, then we will get a comfort and a peace beyond understanding.

If we trust the God who turned 180 gallons of water into delicious wine, we will get a cup that overflows.

If we trust the God who would welcome a prodigal child home with an extravagant party consisting of a fatted calf, a robe and a ring, we will get goodness and mercy and a place in the house of the Lord forever.

Born Holding Hands

On By Rev. Dr. Jarrett BanksIn Farmville EnterpriseLeave a comment

Twins holding hands at deliveryLast Sunday in Ohio, which just so happened to be Mother’s Day, a rare set of mono, mono twins, Jillian and Jenna Thistlewaite, were miraculously born holding hands.

One of the most popular songs when I was born back in 1966 was entitled, Born Free.  “Born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows, born free to follow your heart.”

It’s a nice song.  However, when you take a good look at Jillian and Jenna Thistlewaite who were born this week holding hands, we learn something completely different. We were not born to be independent and free, but we were born to be very dependent on one another. We were born to need one another. Jillian and Jenna remind us that Christ has commanded us to love one another, to link up with one another in mutual care and concern, and to feel responsibility for one another. We were born to live in community.

We were not born free, as the song goes. We were born holding hands.

So, perhaps the worst kind of evil in this world is failing to accept one another. Or alienating another. Or living a self-absorbed, self-centered life.